Trials and Tribulations
by lovearainynightx
Summary: Through every trial and tribulation in your life, you can guarantee your family and friends will stick with you through it all. One young chipmunk will learn this as his life takes a difficult turn. Third genre: Drama
1. Beginnings

Bonjour. (: Soo, this is the first ever story I've uploaded to the site, but it's definitely not the first story I've written. Besides this one, I've typed up about 5 other little fics, but this one is probably my favorite so far.

Okay, so before anyone can say anything, let me clear something up really quick. I am completely aware that there's another story that was posted that's REALLY similar to this one, but I promise that I've not taken my ideas from there. I wrote this story back in July, with no real intentions of ever posting it. And when that story (which is extremely well-written and nicely done, don't get me wrong) was posted, I figured there was no point in uploading mine since people would think I just copied. But I can 100% guarantee you that that isn't the case. This story was actually inspired by another fic that was written a while back, called "The Pact". But not the one that I'm talking about, which if you read you'll probably know.

ANYWAYS, enough of all that crap. Bottom line, I just wanted to try my hand at writing and see what everyone thinks. So, to the people who did and didn't just skip over this like I would, enjoy! (:

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Alvin Seville shifted uncomfortably in his desk as he was attacked by another sharp pain in his stomach. He groaned and tried rubbing it to get the ache to go away, but to no avail.

Alvin didn't understand why this was happening. He had been getting these weird aches and awful pains for about a week now, and they were seeming to get worse. Not only that, but he was also experiencing dizzy spells bad enough for him to actually sway and sometimes even loose his balance. And, as if that wasn't enough, he just couldn't bring himself to really eat anything anymore. Oh sure, he'd have an apple or some crackers here and there, but his stomach would just flat out refuse to accept the plates of spaghetti or whatever Dave had cooked that was offered to him nightly. Luckily though, Alvin was almost sure no one had noticed all this. The last thing he wanted to do was worry his family or friends.

As the teacher droned on about who-knows-what, Alvin propped his head up with his right arm. Becoming a little bit relaxed, his eyes would've drooped closed, but he suddenly felt another dizzy spell coming on. Shutting his eyes tightly, Alvin just endured it and waited for his spinning head to settle.

Sitting right next to him, Alvin's slightly younger brother, Theodore, eyed him in deep concern. He knew something had been wrong with Alvin as of late. Theodore watched him every night at dinner, pushing the food on his plate into little piles to make it look like he had eaten, without even really taking more than a few nibbles. This made Theodore sick with worry. Was he depressed? Had something bad happened to him? No matter how much Theodore poked and prodded, Alvin insisted he was perfectly fine. Theodore didn't believe a word of it, though, and now as he watched Alvin sitting next to him clearly in pain, Theodore knew something had to be physically wrong with him.

Taking out his notebook and ripping out a small piece of paper, Theodore scribbled something down before folding it up and throwing it right at Alvin's head.

Opening one of his eyes, Alvin looked from the paper that landed on his desk to a smiling Theodore, and then back at the paper. Slowly, Alvin lifted his head from his arm and opened the note.

"Are you feeling okay? You don't look so good", the note said.

Alvin rolled his eyes. Theodore was so pokey. Although, somewhere inside Alvin knew he was only being a concerned brother. He decided not to flat out lie this time, because if he told Theodore he was okay, it would probably be an insult to his brother's intelligence.

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy. I'll be okay.", he wrote back, flinging the paper back to the sender's desk.

After reading the response, Theodore felt a little relieved. Finally, Alvin admitted he wasn't as perfectly fine as he swore he was. It only took a few seconds for him to write out his reply.

"You should go to the nurse. And if you're just dizzy, then how come you were rubbing your stomach a few seconds ago? It looked like it was hurting you or something."

That was where Alvin ended the conversation. He couldn't think of an excuse for that one. All Alvin could do was give Theodore a little smile and mouth out the words "I'm okay."

--

Several hours later, Alvin stood in the cafeteria, leaning against the wall and silently begging the lunch line he was waiting in to go faster. He didn't feel any better… if anything, he felt worse. His stomach was still hurting, and now he felt lightheaded. To top it off, he was getting a migraine. All he wanted to do was get some water and go sit down.

However, his heart leap for joy when he heard a soft voice call his name from behind him. It was Brittany, his long time crush. Of course, though, that crush was something else he didn't plan on admitting to anytime soon.

"What's the matter with you?", Brittany asked as soon as she reached him, eyeing him with concern the same way Theodore had done earlier.

"Me? Nothing", Alvin replied quickly. "I only got three hours of sleep last night and now I'm exhausted." A flat out lie again, since he had went to bed very early the night before.

Buying his excuse, Brittany dove into telling him a story about what happened in English earlier in the day. However, Alvin was finding it harder and harder to stay focused. His mind kept slipping, and eventually he gave up on trying to pay attention altogether. He just liked to hear the music that was her voice, so he listened to that instead.

As each minuet ticked by, Alvin felt worse and worse. He suddenly felt extremely hot. So much so that he had to pull the collar away from his neck to air himself out. Noticing this, Brittany pressed the back of her hand against his burning forehead, quickly drawing it back in a shocked manner when she felt his temperature.

"Oh, my gosh! Alvin, you have a fever!" she practically shouted, getting more than a few people's attention. She grabbed his arm and gently led him away from the line and to the nearest lunch table.

Simon and Theodore, who had picked that unfortunate moment to walk in, rushed to follow Brittany to the table, wondering why on earth she was clinging to Alvin that way.

"Brittany, what are you doing?" Simon asked as he just about managed to catch up to her.

"A-Alvin doesn9 9t feel well. He's very warm! Simon, do you think you could go get him some water?" she said in a voice that was heavy with worry as she carefully helped Alvin sit down.

Simon didn't say another word as he quickly made a dash for the lunch line. Theodore just sat down on the other side of Alvin and watched Brittany lovingly stroke his brother's hair.

Alvin really did look awful. His eyes were half open and he couldn't even sit up straight. Brittany even had to help steady him as he began to slump.

"Should I go get the nurse?" Theodore asked, his voice shaking as though he were about to cry.

"That's a good idea Theodore", Brittany said softly, and, hearing the shake in his voice, added, "Don't worry, he's going to be perfectly fine."

Theodore winced a little. If he heard the words "perfectly fine" one more time, he was going to crack. Shaking it off, he turned on his heals and rushed out of the cafeteria, trying to think of the shortest possible route to the nurse's office.

Meanwhile, in the lunch room, Brittany and Simon were helping Alvin drink some of the water and trying to get him to tell them exactly what was wrong. Alvin's wall remained strong, though. He wasn't going to spill just yet.

"Nothing. I guess I just have a little fever", he said quietly as he savored the feeling of the cool water slithering down his throat and into his stomach.

"But you look really sick. Are you sure it's just a fever?" Simon inquired while leaning towards Alvin just a bit more.

Alvin wasn't able to answer, though, because another dizzy spell had hit him. But… this one was different. It was bad, and it made him feel like he was ready to fall out of his seat. Then, almost out of nowhere, Alvin's eyesight started to fade, and it only took a few moments until everything went black. The last things he heard before completely passing out were Simon and Brittany loud gasps and cries of fear.


	2. Theodore

Aaand here's chapter 2. By the way, thank you SO MUCH to EVERYONE who reviewed! I seriously never realized how happy reviews can make an author until I actually received them myself. Now I know why everyone begs for them all the time. [: Hah anyways, enjoy the second chapter of Trials and Tribulations. This is where it gets kinda sad…

Oh, and I forgot the disclaimer last chapter, soo…

I don't own the Chipmunks or Chipettes; plain and simple.

**--**

**TWO AND A HALF WEEKS LATER…**

Theodore sat morosely on the couch, desperately trying to turn up the TV loud enough so that it would drown out Alvin's muffled cries of pain. However, it didn't work out as well as he had hoped.

Alvin was receiving the medicine that he so desperately needed, but the only way it could be administered was through a series of large, painful needles since it had to go right into his veins. That's why, every other night, the same thing happened. Theodore either left or did something to drown out the sounds coming from their bedroom, Simon comforted their brother, and Dave did the heartbreaking task.

Alvin was so sick. It was unexplainable how his health had deteriorated so fast. He went from a happy, energetic young chipmunk to a weak, helpless little lump. Now, he couldn't sit up right for more than twenty minutes. He just didn't have the strength. He couldn't even get up out of bed by himself, which meant someone always had to look after him.

The worst - and scariest - thing about this was that the doctors had absolutely no clue what was wrong with Alvin. Yes, they would come up with a new diagnosis every so often, but then, a new symptom would appear which usually ruled out whatever they thought he had.

All anyone knew for sure was that Alvin was slowly loosing the battle, and if they didn't figure out what was wrong with him soon, Alvin's body wouldn't be able to fight much longer.

Thinking about that now, mixed with the stomach-churning sounds coming from upstairs, Theodore couldn't hold it back anymore. He snuggled his head into the arms of the couch and just began to sob. He couldn't help it. Watching Alvin like that broke his heart. This was his big brother they were talking about. Well, bigger by a mere 10 minutes, but Alvin certainly played the role well enough that sometimes it was hard to tell if it was 10 minutes or a couple years. Well, to Theodore he acted that w ay anyway… when he needed him to.

Theodore recalled all the times Alvin stood up for him against bullies or people who wanted to pick on him just because he was short and sweet. Alvin was quite short himself, but that didn't stop him from telling off anybody who even dared to mess with Theodore. And for that, Theodore couldn't thank Alvin enough.

It wasn't just the bullies. Alvin was _always_ there for Theodore. Whether his problems were big or little, Alvin was always there for comfort. A shoulder to cry on, a wall to lean on. Alvin never wavered in the moral support he dished out for each of his brothers whenever they needed it.

Suddenly, Theodore stopped crying and raised his head a little. There had been many times when he needed Alvin, but… now, Alvin needed _him_. And what was he doing? Laying on the couch crying like a baby? Theodore suddenly felt ashamed. This wasn't right.

So, wiping the tears from under his eyes, Theodore quietly climbed the stairs to the room he and his brothers shared. The yelps were no longer being emitted from behind the door, and that meant it was the perfect time to be the wall that _Alvin_ now needed to lean on.


	3. Simon

Hey everyone; here's chapter 3. This one isn't exactly one of my _favorites_, since nothing really happens here. It's all basically just thinking. But, that's what Simon's best at, right? Again, thanks to all who reviewed; keep it up, you guys are great!

--

Simon sat quietly at the edge of his brother's bed. Poor Alvin was now starting to fall asleep, comforted slightly by Simon's soft words and gentle pats on the shoulder.

For Simon and Alvin, this was becoming routine. When Alvin was due for his shots, Dave would come in wearing a regretful expression and gently shake the young chipmunk awake. Simon would follow in right behind him, and he would hop up onto the other side of the bed and tell his brother that it was going to be okay, staying there for the entire thing and continuing to give the much needed comfort.

These shots weren't regular shots, which explained why they always brought Alvin close to tears. They had to be administered right into the back of Alvin's neck, and the thickness of the needle was almost dizzying. As if that wasn't enough, the medicine that had to be injected caused an awful burning sensation, which only further pained Alvin's already suffering body.

A few minuets after finishing giving Alvin his shots, Dave left to make dinner downstairs, leaving Alvin and Simon alone. However, Simon didn't have much to say. It had all been said before. "It's going to be okay", "Just hold on Alvin, they doctors will figure out what's wrong soon", "It'll work out, Alvin, just have faith", "You're strong Alvin, you'll pull though". It didn't need to be repeated. All Simon could do right now was stay by his brother until he fell asleep.

Simon sighed as he tried to blink back the tears that were burning his eyes. He had never seen Alvin like this before. He just looked awful.

Everything about his looks that once made him a cute little chipmunk was beginning to fade. His light-brown fur used to be soft, sleek and shiny. Now… now it was dull and a little rough. His healthy figure that was once well layered in muscle and a small amount of baby fat was beginning to slim out. But the saddest thing of all was that his eyes, although still the beautiful blue they had always been, no longer shone.

Simon shook his head. He couldn't help but feel partly responsible for this. If he had just paid more attention, maybe Alvin would've gotten the help he needed before he fainted that day in school. He knew Alvin wouldn't have done anything about it. He never said a word about his health, as if it was nobody else's business but his own.

What disgusted Simon the most was that nobody knew what was wrong. Simon always dreamed of being a doctor, and he swore to God that he would find out what was going on if it killed him. Simon would spend hours on the computer, typing in his brother's long list of symptoms and trying to find something that matched up.

Sadly, though, it was all in vain. Every time Simon thought he knew what it was, he'd call up the doctor and report his findings. But after several times doing this, Simon realized no one was taking him seriously, because they didn't even _test_ Alvin for any disease he suggested. This frustrated Simon to his boiling point. No, he wasn't trained like the doctors were, but he was just as smart, even if he was only 11.

Simon sighed once more, remembering all the times he had with Alvin. The good and the bad. Alvin was always coming up with some kind of crazy scheme or plan, and every single one of them never seemed to work out in his or anyone else's favor. Simon had to admit, though, if there was one thing Alvin was an expert at, it was coming up with a plausible plan on spot. Simon shook his head, wishing Alvin had a plan this time around.

Then, an idea hit him. Alvin may not have been able to come up with a plan in this situation but… _he _could. Simon was going to have come up with his own way of getting the doctors to believe him by taking a few tricks from Alvin's book. And whether he failed or not… well, at least he could say he tried.

So, with something of a lopsided grin, and checking to make sure Alvin was sleeping, he excitedly rushed out of the room, almost smacking into Theodore on the way out.


	4. Dave

Here's Chapter 4. Hope you enjoy. Oh, and something will actually _happen_ next chapter, I promise. But for now, more thoughts. (:

BTW Northgalus2002, good guess.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!

--

Dave was slowly but surely being eased out of his restless sleep by a small whimpering sound next to him. Opening an eye revealed none other than the small sleeping form of Alvin, who was shaking and actually shedding tears in his sleep.

Ever since Alvin had gotten sick, Dave became incredibly over protective of him. He insisted Alvin sleep with him incase something bad happened, which the doctors said was okay since Alvin was obviously not contagious. Now, he was thankful he had done so, because if he didn't he may never have been able to be there for him during this nightmare.

So, as carefully as he possibly could, Dave wrapped up his small son in the surrounding blankets, and slowly lifted him so he could cradle Alvin in his arms. Dave slowly rocked Alvin and walked around the room a bit, but Alvin continued to whimper and cry in his sleep. Dave heaved a sigh. He knew this was being caused by Alvin's high fever making him delirious and confusing his brain. So, Dave reached for the wet rag from the bowl of water he always had handy beside his bed and patted Alvin's forehead with it, hoping it would cool him down a bit.

Alvin stopped shedding tears, but he was still whimpering and shaking a bit. So, Dave did the next best thing he knew how to do: sing. And he knew just what song he was going to sing, too. It was a lullaby that the boy's mother, Vinny, used to sing to them as babies. Vinny had taught Dave the words to this song during her last visit, and every time he sang it since then it worked like a charm. It w as almost magical.

_Hush your thoughts little one, _

_Close your eyes little one, _

_Dream time is near, _

_You needn't fear, _

_And when you wake, I will be here_

Dave paused, sadly realizing he had forgotten the rest of the words to the song. He thought for a few minuets until he heard two soft voices singing in perfect harmony behind him.

_Rest your head little one, _

_Dream sweet dreams little one, _

_The stars say goodnight, _

_I say sleep tight, _

_And when you wake, we will be here_

Dave smiled warmly at his other two sons before looking down at his third. His smile broadened when he saw that Alvin was no longer shaking or whimpering, and was instead sleeping peacefully.

"What're you two doing up?" Dave asked in a soft whisper.

"We couldn't sleep," Theodore answered.

"C'mon boys," Dave said as he motioned towards the bed before walking over to it himself and tucking Alvin back in.

Simon and Theodore climbed in on either side of Dave and Alvin, snuggling close and quickly drifting off into a much needed sleep. Soon, though, Dave was the only one there awake as too many thoughts were swirling around in his head at the moment for sleep to come.

Dave had raised these three chipmunks for 11 wonderful years. Never in his life had he ever felt a sweeter satisfaction than seeing them go from little babies in diapers to three happy young boys. The joys of parenthood were something Dave experienced everyday.

Now, though, the pain the could come from being a father was also something he experienced every day. Particularly, the pain of being a father whose son was so sick he couldn't even walk by himself anymore. It hurt Dave every second of every day, but just knowing that Alvin was suffering was what hurt him the most.

Tears glazed in Dave's eyes as he recalled the past 9 years spent with Alvin. Sure, he could be a handful at times, and a bit of a trouble maker, but the good heavily outweighed the bad. Alvin was just a bundle of energy and laughs, and he often kept life from getting too dull or boring. This was one of the many reasons the family needed Alvin around so badly.

Another one of the reasons that Dave in particular needed Alvin, was that he was always around to cheer him up when he was down. Dave remembered the time one of his songs got rejected by the record company, and all he did for about three days was mope around the house. However, Alvin was able to successfully cheer him up by writing a little song of his own. And that other time that Dave broke up with his girlfriend. Alvin had been there to help him out of his slight depression after telling him his own countless break-up sob stories.

Dave shook his head a little as he gazed upon his ill son, taking in the now rare sight of Alvin looking content. He stroked Alvin's cheek a little bit, sadly seeing that the fur didn't move out of the way easily anymore due to it's new texture. It was just so awful to know that he couldn't do anything! Usually, Dave had all the answers. But now, all he could do was stand back and watch the as life was slowly drained from his precious son.

The more Dave thought about it, the more he believed there may be something he could do… maybe. Back when Alvin had helped him, truthfully, he didn't actually fix the problem. Alvin couldn't make the record producers like his dad's song, and he couldn't get Dave's girlfriend to go back out with him. What he could do, however, was help Dave forget the problem at hand. Maybe now, that's just what Alvin needed. It wouldn't cure him, but a little cheering up, Dave hoped, would make him feel much better.

Satisfied, Dave slowly shut his eyes and welcomed the sleep that suddenly overcame his tired mind.


	5. Brittany

Kay, I'm back. How was everyone's Christmas? Enjoy chapter 5, and I apologize for what happens in this chapter. But, people have done worse things, so don't virtually shoot me, thanks.

--

Brittany Miller sat on the edge of her bed, staring at her shoes that were on the floor waiting for her feet to be slipped into them. However, Brittany had been doing this for about 15 minuets now, obviously hesitant about taking the last step she needed to take before she left the house.

Visiting Alvin just wasn't something she got too excited about anymore. It was literally a physical and emotional feat that she forced herself to overcome about two or three times a week. It just hurt too much to see someone she cared so deeply for in so much pain. Although she didn't much want to go over there, she never, ever considered not showing up at all. Alvin needed her and she knew it. Just seeing the sides of Alvin's mouth twist up into a little grin when she walked in that door made seeing what he looked like after the smile faded worth it.

Brittany frowned a little. She deeply wished that Alvin would've just hurried up and asked her out _before_ he'd gotten so sick. She knew that sounded awful, but she really just starting to worry that she'd never experience the sure-to-be amazing feeling of having Alvin as a boyfriend… it was something she'd always dreamed of, and something she was extremely close to having before… _that day_.

Alvin and Brittany's mutual crush on each other was something each of them were fully aware of. Sometimes, they flirted so mercilessly that it was an enigma why one of them hadn't asked the other out yet. But Alvin and Brittany knew. Neither of them had the nerve. So, both were content to stay the way they were for the moment: best friends that liked each other very much… that is, until one of them worked up the courage to take it one step further.

Brittany sighed. Every single day, she thought of Alvin like this. The memories they shared… and the wish that soon, they would be able to create new ones. But for now, all Alvin could do way lay in bed as everyone around him encouraged him to be strong.

Finally gathering her own strength, Brittany slipped on her shoes and made her way towards the door, stopping only to grab the box full of cookies her sister Eleanor had baked for Alvin. Brittany glanced down at the package in her hands, wondering why she was even bothering giving Alvin food. She knew he wouldn't eat it, no matter how much he really wanted to. Chocolate chip was his favorite.

Taking in the cool spring air, Brittany closed her eyes as she stepped out of her house. She knew the way she going so well that she didn't even need to look anymore.

Her eyes needed a break anyway… they were sore from darting around while she was deep in thought.

But, as she peeked a little to cross the street, something on the next block caught her eyes and immediately made her stomach drop down to the tips of her toes. Red and blue flashing lights were darting around frantically, and a few neighbors had gathered outside their houses to watch the scene unfold.

Brittany didn't want to look. She just wanted to close her eyes and not regard what was happening. But, they remained open and stared on. Nothing had been confirmed yet, but that didn't stop the Chipette from reacting. She didn't need a confirmation… she knew what was going on.

Her stomach twisting into about 20 different knots, she walked her wobbly legs over to the ambulance, getting more frantic with each step as she was led right in front of the very house she had been making her way to mere seconds ago.

Finally getting close to the vehicle, she quickly realized it was empty. No patient, no drivers. That meant… well…

At that moment, the doors to the Seville residence flung open. Brittany immediately turned away and collapsed into a sitting position on the curb, hoping she wasn't in the way, because she'd be unable to move if she was.

The sounds of the wheels of the stretcher were rapidly becoming closer and closer. Brittany wanted to bury her face in her hands and not see this, but, again, her body didn't listen to her head, and she found herself gazing directly at the back of the ambulance.

The paramedics suddenly filled her sight as they flung open the doors and reached out for the stretcher as it was being lifted up into the back. All Brittany needed to see was tip of the patient's brown nose before completely breaking down into heaving sobs and waterfall-like tear streams.

The next thing Brittany knew, two pairs of hands rested on either of her shoulders as they tried gently to help her stand. She cooperated, not at all in the mood to be difficult. She turned to face them… it was Simon and Theodore, their eyes filled with the same pool of tears as hers were.

"W-what's going on? What's… what's happening to him?" Brittany managed to stutter through her heavy crying.

Simon looked at her; worry, fear, pain, sadness and hesitation reflected in his gaze. "He… he had a seizure Brittany".

Brittany almost fell over. "WHAT? Oh… OH, my gosh! Why?! WHY is this happening?! This isn't fair! What did he EVER do to deserve all this?! I don't believe it! I DON'T! " Brittany screamed, stomping her feet and waving her arms around as she began to get hysterical.

Alarmed, Simon grabbed Brittany's arms and squished them to her sides. "Brittany! Stop it. Please!" he begged. "We can't do this right now! Alvin needs us to be strong for him. Look, it's been _very_ hard for all of us and you're right, Alvin doesn't deserve this. But we can't loose it now!"

Brittany let Simon's words sink in a moment before wrapping her arms around herself and nodding. Simon was very right, and she now she felt guilty and ridiculous for having reacting the way she did.

Brittany was so wrapped up that she didn't even notice Dave climb in the ambulance behind her, and she didn't notice when it sped off down the street with it's sirens blaring either. So, the empty space was a shock when she turned around. "How are we getting there?" she whispered

"The cops are gonna take us... We can't all be in the ambulance with him," Simon said with a strained voice as he lent a comforting hand to Theodore's shoulder. Theodore looked just as hysterical as Brittany had been, the only difference was that he was completely silent.

"Come on, buddy. He's gonna be fine. You'll see," Simon reassured as he led his little brother and Brittany to an awaiting cop car… although… he wasn't so sure himself.


	6. Endings?

Authors Note 1; Okay, here it is. Sorry that took so long! Before you read, the song in this chapter is called "I Will Always Be With You" from All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 by Jesse Corti and Sheena Easton . READ IT WITH THE CHAPTER. I'm serious. Just as a warning, I changed it up slightly, and the male/female, solo/duet parts don't match perfectly with the original song, but listening to it while reading will give you the full effect. Promise. (: Links in my profile.

Okay, on with chapter 6!

--

Hours later, Brittany sat huddled up onto a chair in the waiting room, trembling and every once in a while shedding a tear or two. She was alone. Everyone else had gone to see Alvin in his hospital room, but she just couldn't do it. Not yet. She needed to be alone with him. She had to wait until everyone else was gone.

But… they had been in there for a very long time. She checked her cell phone. "10'o clock?!" she gasped in a low whisper. That meant they had been in the room for three hours! She must have fallen asleep or something.

Minutes ticked by and every second of them, Brittany wondered. Was he okay? Was he awake and talking? Or was he laying there, unconscious and unaware? What could possibly be going on? Finally, Brittany just couldn't take it anymore. She had to go in there. She had to see him!

Slowly but surely, the Chipette tiptoed down the hall towards the room she had seen her sisters, the rest of the Chipmunks, Ms. Miller and Dave go into earlier. Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle and pushed back the door.

The room was completely dark, save a small dim light in the middle on a wall directly across from her. The light shined down upon a bed, covered in sheets with a bump in the middle. The bed was surrounded by machines… lots of them. But the most important one was the one that was beeping with a screen in the middle, which displayed a green line that jolted up and fell back down regularly. Brittany felt relieved to see that, knowing it meant Alvin's heart was still beating.

However, the machines and sheets were all she could see of the bed. She couldn't see over top of it due to her height. Looking around a little bit more, in the shadows she saw two couches on either side of the room. On one of the couches was her foster mother and her sisters… all three of them in what seemed to be a restless sleep. The other couch contained a similar sight, only with Dave, Simon and Theodore. But, instead of seeing three pairs of closed eyes, she saw two, and the last pair was wide open, green and staring at her.

"Hi, Theodore," she peeped as she began to walk over to him.

"Hey, Brittany. Are… are you okay?" he asked, concerned just by the sight of her.

"I'm okay, Theodore. Thanks… Um…" she wanted to avoid the subject that was about to burst out her mouth, but she couldn't. "How is he?"

Immediately, Theodore's eyes glazed over. He looked like he was going to suddenly burst into tears again. He didn't, though. He seemed deep in thought as if he was choosing his next words carefully.

"L-listen… Brittany. I really, really don't want to be the one to tell you this but, um," he paused, and Brittany felt as if she was going to fall over again, already sensing what he was trying to say. "Alvin… well, he…" Theodore drew in a breath. "His body's shutting down, Britt," he said, each word sounded as if they were constricting his wind pipe as they left his mouth.. "The doctors say… that… it's unlikely he'll make it through the night," he finally finished, the tears spilling down his face, although he was still somehow managing to keep his composure.

Brittany's legs gave up. Her world felt like it had just come crashing down, and she went crashing down with it onto the floor. She just began full out sobbing, her clenched fists covering her eyes. "NO! NO! NO! NOT… not Alvin!! He can't! I won't let him!" she cried, trying to keep her voice under control.

Theodore found himself on the floor next to her in a second, putting an arm around her in an attempt to comfort. "I know, Britt. Shhh… I know," he cooed, not really knowing what to say.

Brittany suddenly looked up at him, and one of the first few steps in grieving began for her… denial. "You're lying, Theodore! Tell me the truth right now! Alvin wouldn't die! I know he wouldn't, so stop messing around! It's not funny!!" she wailed.

"I wish I was lying, Brittany. But I'd never do that… I don't know what else to tell you!" he yelped, his voice cracking as he erupted into his own little fit of emotion.

Looking over at him, common sense hit her like a ton of bricks. Theodore would never joke about something like this… who would? She wanted to slap herself in the face for going nuts the way she had been lately, when everyone else around her seemed so strong.

"Theodore. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. Look… you were very brave for telling me that. Thanks."

He met her gaze and tried to stop crying. "Really?"

"Yeah. Honestly, Theodore? You've been very brave through out this entire thing. I've been the weak one!" she let a few more muffled sobs escape her throat. "Oh, Theodore! How do you do it? How do stay so strong and composed when your own brother… is…" she stopped herself. "Well, how do you do it?!"

Theodore shrugged and sniffed as he tried to control himself a little better. "I don't know. I guess… I guess I decided a while ago that I needed to be strong for Alvin. He's always been there for me and, well, I need to return the favor. I can't break down like I want to… Alvin would never do that if it were me."

Brittany was surprised by Theodore's sudden display of beyond-his-years wisdom. "Wow, Theodore." was all she could say.

They sat in a few moments of silence before Theodore finally spoke again. "Look. I'm gonna leave so you can be alone with him for a while. I… um, I think it'd be a good idea if you said your… g-goodbyes, Brittany… the rest of us already did it. It's your turn."

Hearing those words put Brittany in almost physical pain. She couldn't say goodbye to Alvin. What on earth would she do without him? She couldn't possibly bear to go on without him by her side.

When she looked up to Theodore to respond however, he was gone. It was just her and Alvin now. Well, except for everyone else who was sleeping, but they seemed pretty deep in it. If her crying and carrying on hadn't woken them up, nothing would.

Slowly, she turned around to look at the bed. She didn't want to do this, but she had to. So, with great hesitation, she made her way across the room to where he was.

After getting up onto the bed, Brittany finally laid eyes on Alvin. She had expected the sight to be awful, but it still made her groan in agony. Wires were all over the place, coming in and out of him. Alvin himself, though… looked worse than she had seen him in weeks. It was indescribable.

Unable to control her emotions again, she made her way to his side and cuddled up against him, grabbing his arm tightly and just crying into the curve of his neck, her cool tears soaking his warm fur.

What happened next startled Brittany out of her senses. The lifeless body under her began to move, and the next thing she knew, his arm was wrapped around her and patting her shoulder lightly.

Her glassy eyes quickly shot towards him. "Alvin?"

"Hey, Britt." he said, his voice almost unrecognizable.

She wanted to ask him how he felt, like she did every other time she came to visit him. She only asked this question in the hopes that the answer would be 'better', but now, it was pointless.

The next words that came seemed to just flood out of her mouth. "Alvin, please, please don't go! We need you here, I need you here! You have to hold on just a little bit longer! I know you can, Alvin. And I know it hurts, but don't give up just yet!" she wailed as she inadvertently squeezed him harder and harder.

"Brittany…" he wheezed. A bit of a frustrated look appeared on his face when he heard his voice. He cleared his throat and tried speaking again. "Listen, there's nothing more… I want to do than stay here. I don't want me to go either but… I might have to," he squeezed her shoulder weakly as her sobbing grew heavier. "I really want to make you understand, Brittany".

"But, Alvin. You're so young!"

"I know."

Brittany sighed. She knew this wasn't right, she had to let Alvin do what he needed to do. She didn't want to let him go, but she would if she knew it was what fate had planned.

"I'm sorry, Alvin. I… I guess I'm being greedy. If you need to leave… I do understand. But, just promise me this. That, wherever you go after you leave us… that you'll never forget me, or the time we spent together".

"Britt," Alvin said, something that resembled a smile filling his eyes. "I'll never, ever forget you. I can't, because even if I'm not here, we'll always be together".

Brittany couldn't help but grin at that. She agreed wholeheartedly. She nodded, and, gently grabbing both of his hands, she began to sing.

_I will always be with you _

_Makes no difference where your road takes you to _

_Even if we're apart _

_Now we're joined at the heart _

_Though our moment may be gone _

_You and I will still live on…_

Alvin cleared his throat again. He was going to sing, too, even though he knew it'd be slightly off key. His vocal chords were still able to produce some kind of melody, even if it was weak and almost strangled.

_I will always be with you _

_I'll be by your side, whatever you do _

_Though the memories may fade _

_The ones that we made _

_Are eternal as a star _

_Now I'm part of who you are _

Their voices then rose together in harmony, although they didn't match the way they used to anymore.

_And I'll be there with you in the sound of your laughter _

_I'll be in the tears you cry _

_'Cause the way you and I have touched one another _

_Doesn't end with goodbye_

Alvin's voice then belted a little as far as it could.

_I will always be with you _

_I'll be your guardian angel, constant and true_

Brittany stared at him, a little shocked by that. But, then again, if there really was such things as guardian angels, she wanted hers to be Alvin. She then sang back to him.

_When you're lost in the night _

_And you can't see the light _

_My love will see you through_

Placing a hand on her cheek, Alvin began the last part of the song, his voice lowering a little.

_I will always be there… _

Brittany touched his hand, nuzzling into it a little.

_You'll have me there… _

They both gently cooed out the final verse.

_I will always be with you._

"Alvin?"

"… Hm?"

"I still don't want you to go."

…Silence followed, and each of them fell into some sort of sleep. It was impossible to tell whether it was content or restless, but the only thing that was certain was that both of their hearts beat in harmonic rhythm the entire night.

--

Author's Note 2; So how did I do? I got a bit teary eyed re-reading this chapter and I hope it had the same effect on you. The next chapter is probably the last one unless I get some sort of inspiration… But the ending will be where everything from the earlier chapters ties up, obviously, lol. Oh, and I don't know when the next chapter will be out. I have SCHOOL tomorrow, and I never wrote an ending to this, so I'm going to be working on it over the next week, and it should be done soon.

Anyways, I hope you all are enjoying this. Bye!


	7. New Beginnings

Authors Note 1; Ak. I suck. So what, it's been two weeks? I'm sorry, I hate when people when do that. But really, it was for the best, up until last night I had a REALLY important element to almost the entire story completely different, but I had an idea over the weekend that I was surprised I'd never came up with before. So I rewrote and revise a lot last night. In short, the wait was worth it. Enjoy the last official chapter. And guess what! There's an epilogue after this that I'm going to start really soon! So look out for that. Okay, now READ.

--

A bright light pierced his eyelids, forcing them open slightly. Alvin's pupils shrunk to let in as little light as possible. He wished someone would just shut it off; it was stinging his eyeballs.

Eventually, they adjusted, and Alvin was able to open his eyes just a bit more. He had no idea where he was. _…Heaven?_ Alvin guessed incredulously to himself.

Wanting to know the answer, he forced his eyes open all the way. However, instead of seeing pure light and beauty, all he saw were the bright white tiles of a ceiling.

He was still in the hospital. He was still alive!

Alvin attempted to move, but found it almost near impossible. He ignored his temporary immobility, and his eyes darted around the room, searching for something. Anything.

The first things his blue eyes found was a sleeping Brittany. She had her arms wrapped around his left arm and her head was resting next to his shoulder. His heart leapt for joy, and he smiled widely.

Alvin then decided it was time to mentally prepare himself for the pain that always came with waking fully up. Alvin clenched his teeth and shut his eyes tight, already bearing the hurt before it even arrived.

…But, it never came.

Alvin was shocked. That was impossible. Usually he'd be groaning in intense discomfort right now. Something was off… something had _changed_…

It was at that moment that Alvin realized something that almost made him yelp in confusion. His head… it didn't feel like someone was trying to hack it open with an axe that had a dull blade. His stomach didn't feel like it was twisted up into hundreds of tight knots, like his Ipod headphones or Jeanette's shoelaces. And his arms and legs didn't feel like they were being laid out against hot furnaces. It was almost incomprehensible… but he felt…

Better.

Alvin lifted his right arm, the one that wasn't being squeezed to death by Brittany. His muscles ached, and it seemed like there a 20 lb weight hanging from his wrist. But, the sharp stinging pain that he usually felt when he went through this action was completely gone. How?

"Oh, thank God! He's awake!"

Alvin jerked his head toward the sound. A little too quickly. The next thing Alvin saw was his blue-clad brother, Simon. Pride and thankfulness burned clear in his steel-gray eyes.

"It's okay Alvin, you're going to be just fine now."

Alvin blinked rapidly. He was confused out of his mind, but also so happy and excited that he could barely think straight.

"B-but… what happened?"

"Should we tell him now, or later?" a voice he recognized as Eleanor's asked.

"Tell me w-" Alvin was cut off by the two arms that had been clinging to him seconds ago wrapping lovingly around his neck, practically choking him.

"ALVIN!", Brittany wailed, having woken up at the sound of his voice. "You STAYED! You're okay! Oh thank you, thank you, _thank you_!"

"He's up?!" another voice that Alvin knew could only belong to his father asked.

"Yeah, Dave. And he looks better already! I told you!"

"Oh, Alvin!", Dave said gently as he put his hand on the top of the chipmunk's head and lightly began stroking his hair. "Thank goodness you're alright. I've never been so worried sick in my life. I almost had a heart attack! Please, _never_ do that to me again."

"Oh, goodness gracious! You poor, sweet dear! Thank the good Lord in heaven you're okay!" Ms. Miller's loud voice wailed from behind Dave.

It was then that Alvin realized that six pairs of eyes were gathered around his bed, gazing at him lovingly for a reason unknown to him. Wait… six? What about-

"ALVIN!", Theodore wailed, jumping up onto the hospital bed and embracing tightly the side of him that Brittany hadn't claimed. "You're alright! You're really, really alright! I'm so happy, I don't know what I would've done without you! Oh, don't worry Alvin! This is all about to be over with! Thank you Simon, thank you soo much!!"

"Simon?" Alvin wheezed through the four arms that were constricting him like a hungry snake.

"Yes, Alvin! Wait till you hear this one! You'll be doing Simon's chores till you're 40!", Jeanette exclaimed proudly.

Alvin's confusion turned to annoyance. They all knew something he didn't, and he wanted to find out what is was, now!

"Okay, okay, okay! Tell me already then! Sheesh!"

They all smiled. _That_ was their Alvin; he was finally starting to come back.

"Well Alvin", Simon began, since the story was his to tell. "I've known for almost two weeks now what's been wrong with you all this time. I've talked with every doctor and nurse in this hospital and then some, but _no one_ would take me seriously. But I was so sure I knew what you had that I couldn't just forget about it. I had to do something before it was too late…"

"W-what? What'd you do?" Alvin asked, seeming a bit impatient.

"I'm getting to that. Anyway, Alvin. You have a very serious, very rare disease that only our species, chipmunks, can get. It's called Tres Tria Disease. It's a condition where a very important hormone produced by our bodies is mistaken for a germ, causing your system to fight it off. Since it's being fought off, it has no time to do its jobs before it's eliminated. And this hormone has lots of jobs, Alvin."

The entire room was listening as Simon attempted to make his explanation simple and understandable. Everyone in the room had heard it before besides Alvin and Brittany, but no one minded listening again. Even Alvin, who usually had a short attention span, was listening intently.

"Without this hormone, your entire body is affected. It aids in digestion, which explains why you're loosing weight and can't eat. It helps get nutrients to your joints and muscles, which it explains why you feel so weak and why it hurts to move… it controls the constriction of the vessels in your head, which is why you get such severe headaches. It even helps regulate blood pressure, which is why you're always dizzy. If you had gone much longer without this crucial little hormone… your body would have shut down completely….

Well, I could never let that happen. So I… sorta…um, changed what your chart says…", Simon looked a bit guilty as he reached to the foot of Alvin's bed and pulled out a clipboard. He held it up to Alvin's face so he could read it. Alvin had seen this paper before. The little box that usually said "Diagnosis: Unknown" now said "Diagnosis: Tres Tria Disease".

"After I did that", Simon continued, "All we had to do was wait. A nurse came in last night, looked at your chart and asked why you weren't receiving a hormone drip that's usually the treatment for patients with your condition. I explained that another nurse had said she was going to go refill the old one but never came back. Sure enough, 10 minutes later, you were hooked up to your only hope", he finished as he indicated the drip by tapping it with his forefinger.

Alvin's eyes widened in pure shock. He looked down at his arm and noticed that, next to the usual IV liquid, a new wire with some sort of yellowish stuff inside was going into his arm. Alvin looked up at his brother, completely speechless.

"Y-you changed my chart? But Simon… that's _illegal_! You could go to jail!"

Simon half smiled and looked down. "Yeah, well. I guess I knew that to save you, I had to think like you. So I pulled an Alvin move. And whaddaya know? An Alvin move actually worked, for once."

Alvin felt tears sting his eyes. They weren't sad tears, of course. No, they were the tears of gratefulness, returned hope, astonishment and strong love for the brother who he'd be looking down at from heaven by now if he hadn't done what he did.

"S-Simon… you saved my life", he managed to choke out.

Seeing his brother's eyes well up with tears like that, and actually hearing those words spoken out loud suddenly made Simon get very emotional, too. "Well, yeah... you're my brother. I-I love you, Alvin."

Alvin nearly sobbed at that. It was rare that either of them showed affection like this, but that just made it feel even sweeter. "I love you too, Simon! So, so much! Thank you!", he wailed before finally letting the tears spill down his cheeks.

Simon sniffed. "Anytime, Alvin." At that, Simon embraced his brother as tight as he would allow himself, filling up the space that Theodore and Brittany weren't occupying.

The others, sensing that a group hug was in order, followed suit, every one of them lovingly embracing Alvin in some way. They stayed that way for quite a while. Nobody wanted to let him go, for fear of almost loosing him again.

--

Authors Note 2; Hm, just as a side note, I completely made up the so called Tres Tria Disease. Yep, it doesn't exist. It was easier that way. I figured that, instead of trying desperately to make some real disease fit into the story after looking for almost an hour through lists of rare disease, why not just make one up? It seems more belivable that way, ironically. Anyways, there ya go. If you haven't read the other AN, go do that. (: goodnight!


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